Al Roker Addresses Eventual Retirement After Hoda Kotb'sTodayExit News: 'You Know When You Know' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Al Roker (left); Hoda Kotb.Photo:Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty (2)

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty (2)

Al Rokerknows what’s coming.

The weatherman, who has been a mainstay on theTodayshow since 1996, has retirement on the mind after his longtime colleagueHoda Kotbannounced her exit from the showon Sept. 26 — but that doesn’t mean it’s happening soon.

“You know when you know,” he tells PEOPLE of the major decision while at the firstFood & WineClassic in Charleston.

“That was the kind of the beautiful thing for Hoda. You even look at…Joe Biden. It’s like, everybody has a reason that they decide it’s time to go.”

Though he knows “that time will come,” he assures us that it’s not quite yet.

“I don’t feel like that’s my time yet, but who knows. Maybe a year or two. Maybe not, but I’m enjoying it. I love this,” Roker, 70, says. “You don’t get off the train until the last stop.”

Hoda Kotb and Al Roker at the 126th Tournament of Roses Parade.Vivian Zink/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

“I had my kiddos later in life and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have. I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world,” Kotb said through tears.

“I’m gonna be here through the first of the year — past the first of the year — and I’m gonna stay in the NBC family, but it’s kind of a big deal for me.”

Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb on the Today show as Hoda announces her exit.TODAY/X

TODAY/X

Roker told PEOPLE he is “just so thrilled for her that I can’t possibly feel any sadness” days after she shared the news.

“I would feel much worse if she was leaving, but she’s just doing something else within our NBC News family,” he said, before sharing that he relates to Kotb’s reasoning for taking a step back.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“And look, I’m very fortunate in that I’ve watchedmy kidsgrow up. Especially whenCourtneywas younger, I was in local news, so I was home in the morning with my kids. But she’s got two young daughters, Haley and Hope… Those moments, those kids grow up. I mean, it’s cliché, but because it’s true. It’s like you blink,” he added. “So I understand exactly why she did it.”

source: people.com